Another Shard Detector
by Crimsondrop7
Summary: A girl appears near Kouga's pack who can sense shards! But Kouga's not the only one who notices her powers. What does fate have planned for Rhena? Will she ever be able to return home? Will she even want to? OCxKouga ON HOLD
1. Odd Beginings

**Chapter 1:_ Odd Start_**

**By Crimsondrop7**

"I shall have your head!" The demon yelled as he charged. Rhena panicked and looked to her right for anything she could use as a block.

All she saw was a duck waddling by. 'Duck? Duck!' Rhena thought as she ducked a punch thrown by the demon. His fist embedded in the tree behind Rhena. He tried to pull his fist out of the tree, cursing his rotten luck. It took longer than he wanted.

He turned around only to find her gone. He became infuriated.

"You're not getting away, wench!" he roared, "When I find you, you'll regret running away from me!" He flitted down the same path Rhena had taken not long ago.

'Gotta run, gotta run, just gotta keep on running!' She thought as she dodged trees in her path, 'Should I hide behind a tree? No! Too risky! Just keep running!'

Rhena was starting to tire and slowed her pace until a tug at the back of her mind told her to keep going. Rhena pushed herself harder, out of fear and wondered.

'Who is this guy chasing me anyway? What'd I do wrong? All I did was magically "poof" out of the air. Then he jumped out of nowhere and accused me for trespassing! What right does he have claiming it as his land? I didn't see any paper proof!'

She sighed. This was not her day. She squeaked as she almost ran into a tree.

'Gotta keep focus, I've already crashed into too many trees for my liking. I think it might have done some damage...'

Her face twisted into a sour look. An enraged roar tore through the forest, scaring Rhena out of her mind.

'Yipes!' she frantically thought, 'He's gotten closer than before!'

She burst out of the forest and found herself in a clearing. She was about to take off again when the demon burst out of the forest much like she had done.

"Now you're head is mine, wench!" Flames of promised torture burned in his eyes.

She was about to retort when he surprised her in a burst of speed. He appeared directly in front of her. A black glow surrounding his fist, he punched her square in the stomach, sending her flying backwards. He smirked at his accomplishment; satisfied he'd landed a punch.

He tracked the trail she flew, but was disappointed to see her still very alive.

Rhena felt a flying sensation after the hard punch. But it didn't last long. She crashed into a tree, one after another, never seeming to stop. She felt her body slowing and cringed for another impact.

It wasn't as hard as she had expected. In fact, it was cold and wet!

"Holy cow! That's cold!" Rhena squeaked as she sprang from the water so fast, as if she'd been burned.

Jumping on a flat rock nearby, she looked down at herself and frowned. Her clothes were soaking wet and clung to her like a second skin. Her jet-black hair was out of its ponytail, sticking to her face and back. Not to mention, she was COLD!

The whole shebang, accusing her, hurting, getting her wet, AND ruining her favorite shirt, angered Rhena.

'He's going regret it BIG TIME when I'm through with him!' she thought heatedly.

"Come on out here, you coward!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, "I know you're in there! Just wait until I kick your sorry butt! Then you'll be sorry for ruining my favorite shirt!"

The demon waltzed out of the forest like nothing had happened.

"I thought you were dead, too bad. Why should I care about your shirt? Not to say that it doesn't fit you..." He eyed her like a piece of prized meat.

That was it! He'd just pressed the wrong button. First he wants to kill her; then turns perverted! Who does he think he is? Rhena won't allow him get away with that comment.

'Ohh…bad move buddy! That's going to cost you more pain than you'll ever wish!'

Rhena clenched her fists into balls and yelled as loud as she could. "**I AM GOING TO _WRING_ YOUR SCRAWNY NECK!**"

A few birds scattered in the forest at the volume of her voice.

He smirked at her response. "Perhaps you'll be more entertaining than I thought. Maybe I shouldn't kill you."

That was the last straw; any thoughts to leave him living were gone now.

"Come on! Bring it! Give me all ya got, cause it ain't gonna be enough! Never and when I say never I MEAN IT; NEVER RUIN A GIRL'S FAVORITE SHIRT! It means **ultimate death** **otherwise**! Got it! And by the way, my name's NOT wench, bitch, woman, girl or any other inappropriate names you can think of! The name is Rhena! KNOW IT,_ USE IT_ **FEAR IT!**"

Rhena was short of breath after her outburst. She turned her flames of death to the demon that had made her furious.

The demon's smirk turned into a frown as he started to sense great power radiating off the girl. This was abnormal. He'd never encountered something like this before.

With no warning, the demon charged. Rhena took the same suit, teeth steeled together.

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I just revised this chapter, so I hope you liked it! Please READ and REVIEW!


	2. Shocked

**_Chapter 2: Shocked_**

**By Crimsondrop7**

Koga was sitting in his wolf den. He was talking to the northern wolves about some things when Ginta and Hakkaku ran up to him.

"Koga! There's some commotion outside!"

"And they're trespassing!" Ginta finished for Hakkaku.

Koga got up agitatedly and told the other two northern wolves they'll have to finish their talk later.

The two nodded, "We would like to see what's causing the commotion."

Koga gave a short curt nod then ran towards the mouth of the cave, the other two wolves not far behind. They were greeted with a sight of surprise.

A girl was standing not too far away from them, soaking wet. Her clothes were abnormal; different from the garments they see each day. She wore an extremely tight shirt that stopped underneath her breasts, revealing her smooth stomach. Since it was translucent, he assumed it was white. There was a curious…thing underneath her shirt…it seemed to cover her chest. Her legs were covered with an odd rough, blue material. She had on a pair of closed shoes.

Her entire body was rigid and tense, like she was waiting for something.

"Come on out here, you coward!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, "I know you're in there! Just wait until I kick your sorry butt! Then you'll be sorry for ruining my favorite shirt!"

A demon waltzed out of the forest like nothing had happened.

The girl clenched her fists into balls and yelled as loud as she could. "**I AM GOING TO _WRING_ YOUR SCRAWNY NECK!**"

A few birds scattered in the forest at the volume of her voice.

He smirked at her response. "Perhaps you'll be more entertaining than I thought. Maybe I shouldn't kill you."

"Come on! Bring it! Give me all ya got, cause it ain't gonna be enough! Never and when I say never I MEAN IT; NEVER RUIN A GIRL'S FAVORITE SHIRT! It means **ultimate death** **otherwise**! Got it! And by the way, my name's NOT wench, bitch, woman, girl or any other inappropriate names you can think of! The name is Rhena! KNOW IT,_ USE IT_ **FEAR IT!**"

Koga raised an eyebrow at her response. She seemed pretty angry, maybe it would be better to let them go on with their fight rather than interrupting. Her threat sounded very painful.

The other two northern wolves looked at each other then looked back at the fight.

A few seconds later, all of the wolf demons felt waves of power emit from the girl. Koga's eyebrows shot up in surprise while other demons wore shocked looks on their faces.

The two northern wolves, Ginta, and Hakkaku did a jaw drop. They were even more shocked when the demon started to charge and **she** took the same suit!

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Sorry this chapter is so long, I guess I didn't write a lot in this chapter. I revised this one

too. Hope you liked it! **Read** and **Review** Please!


	3. First Fight

**_Chapter 3: First Fight_**

**By Crimsondrop7**

The two were on a head-on collision! The demon stopped a few feet before her, trying not to collide, but Rhena didn't stop. She just kept charging.

She threw a right hook at his chest then an uppercut with the left hand, but he avoided both. Not wasting anytime, she swung her right leg at the side of his head; it connected. The momentum from the kick made her turn in a full circle. She landed on the ground and jumped up again, kicking at him with her left leg. She turned around to face him, punching down with her right fist. He dodged the kicks and nearly avoided the punch at the end. He wasn't expecting that.

Ginta and Hakkaku were speechless. The two northern wolf demons' jaws were slack, drool starting to slowly slide down the side of their mouths. Koga's eyes were as big as saucer plates.

_That girl can move... _

"Amazing! I've never seen anything like it!" One of the wolf demons yelled. Agreements came from the pack as they continued to watch the fight intently.

_She's stronger than I thought! If I don't do something quick a worthless, human female'll shame me!_ The demon jumped back to place a few feet between them.

In that little amount of time, Rhena had already started to sweat and tire.

_Dammit! How can I beat him?_

A movement from the demon jerked Rhena from her thought. He'd brought his hands to the front, a black glow covering his entire being and collecting in his palms.

"Now! It's time to finish you!" He yelled, releasing all of his power in one big blast. It was a ball of black swirling energy a course set straight for Rhena.

_Shit! Too late! Must think of something! Like... a counter attack, or… a ball of energy like his. Yeah!_

Rhena mimicked the demon's previous actions. She closed her eyes and focused on her core. Searching inside side herself, she found a warm glow. Following the glow, she found a white ball of energy. She squeezed the ball, letting all of its contents free. The energy washed over her like a warm breeze; it felt so good!

Every demon watched with wide eyes as they saw energy waves pour out of her like a fountain. Her whipped around her form in wind created by the power. A few wolf demons took a few steps back while others were cowering or whimpering.

Rhena's eyes pierced the demon that dare anger her. She pulled all her power into her hands, producing an enormous white ball crackling with energy.

Ever since Rhena was a little child, she believed in fairytales and legends. But most of all, she believed in powers and the fact that everyone had one. When she grew older, people told her they were nothing but lies made to keep children entertained. Rhena had run to her room, crying. She refused to stop believing, and hid her dreams and desires.

"**Let's see who _really_ ends this!**" She yelled.

Rhena let loose her energy ball towards the black one. The force of release sent her skidding back a few feet, breathless. The two balls of energy flew at each other with great speed. As they collided, the white ball of energy shot through the black energy, dissipating it to nothing. She saw the male demon's eyes widen as he saw his ball of energy dissipate into nothing.

"DAMMIT!" He cursed. The demon tried to dodge her energy ball, but no such luck.

By now, all wolves' jaws were slack, including Koga, who tried to retain his appearance suitable at all times. He was surprised and simply shocked to no ends. The girl was full of surprises.

The ball of light finally struck its target. It slammed into his front side, sending him flying several yards. Rhena's eyes were wide.

"Did I just do that? **COOL!**" She struck a haughty pose as she kept ranting, "HA! WHO BEATCHA? I DID! WHO'S GOING TO KICK YOUR BUTT IF YOU TRY THAT AGAIN? I WILL!"

She was ecstatic. Rhena had never fought anyone before, even so much as a little scramble, but it rocked winning!

Koga's eye twitch in annoyance, listening to her ramble. The two northern demons gaped like a fish out of water. Ginta and Hakkaku turned to each other, question in their eyes.

Who is this female? She wasn't demon; that was for sure. And talk about mood swings! One minute, she's mad, the next, she's happy? They didn't know what to think!

"Oh yeah, you have something that's mine!" She talked to the charcoal-colored demon, frowning.

Rhena trudged over to the fried, unconscious demon. She turned him on his back and grabbed an item very dear to her. Her backpack! It'd fallen off when he'd punched her. He must of picked it up and kept it for himself.

She steamed. The nerve of him! Taking something that isn't his and trying to kill her!

Rhena glared hard at the unconscious demon, willing him to spontaneously combust. Seeing nothing happen, she sighed and walked over to the bank. Laying the backpack beside her, she dunked her hands, rings and watch in all.

Koga had seen enough. He was going to give her a piece of his mind. She **dared **to come into their territory and fight like they weren't there?

Koga was one who really didn't like to be ignored. At least she killed, or knocked out the demon that had so blantly crossed their territory without permission.

Koga jumped of the cliff he was sitting on earlier, his actions questioned by the duo.

"Koga, where are you going?" Ginta and Hakkaku asked at in unison.

"Checking for any damage!" he replied. Koga abruptly cut off any of conversation, running the short distance.

Humming a little tune, Rhena wondered how in the world she was to return home. She was out in some wilderness, probably millions and billions of miles away from home. Heck, she didn't even have a clue as to where she is!

She tensed and went rigid footsteps sounded behind her.

_Did that demon wake up **already**?_

Slowly, Rhena stood up and turned around to come face to face with the most brilliant eyes she'd ever seen. She blinked once. Twice. Thrice.

_Where did that thought come from?_

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Hey, I revised this chapter as well. Hope you liked it! Please READ and REVIEW!


	4. A Special Gift

**_Chapter 4: A Special Gift_**

**By Crimsondrop7**

A man standing in front of her seemed to inflate his head. He had long, black hair held in a high ponytail. His skin was tan, but his bright blue eyes stood out the most. He wore a fur skirt, which gave her the impression of a like a kilt, gross! He had armbands that were furry, much like his 'skirt'. Gray armor covering his well-defined chest and a sword hung at his side. He had no shoes while his legs were adorned with fur bands.

A movement between his legs caught her eye. Something…brown and fluffy hung between his legs. Was that a...TAIL? She immediately brushed the absurd thought away. It wasn't possible! Was it?

"What are you doing in my lands?" his deep voice boomed.

Rhena fumed at the comment. She just went through this already!

"Your property?" She curled her fists. "Don't give me your land-crap, because I've heard it already. I'm getting sick and tired of people accusing me of crimes that don't exist! Don't even get me started!"

Koga smirked. 'The girl's got a lot of spunk.'

Rhena glared at Koga, occasionally shifting her gaze to his right arm. Something wasn't right. She squinted, trying to get a better view. Her eyes widened. His arm was glowing pink! She quickly checked for any other appendages that had the same glow. She found two in his legs.

Koga watched the girl's actions with slight interest. Her eyes narrowed at his arm, then widened and slowly traveled downward. Her gaze rested on his two legs. Her eyes began to switch from his arm to his legs. Up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, u-

"Alright! Quit it!" Koga yelled, agitated.

Rhena cringed at his volume. She frowned, "Can you yell any louder? You'll make my ears bleed! And, uh...did you know your arm and legs are glowing pink?"

Koga's mouth fell open, "What? Since when could a puny human like **you** sense Shikon Shards? You could have told me sooner!"

It was Rhena's turn to gape like a fish. "Excuse me? Why the hell should I tell you? I don't even know you! And what hell are Shikon Shards?"

Koga's open mouth suddenly turned to a smile. "Come with me." He said as he grabbed Rhena's arm.

"Are you kidding? No way!" she angrily spat, wrenching her arm free of Koga's steel grip. He gritted his teeth. The girl was more stubborn than his whole pack together. But, it'll pay off later.

Koga used his demon speed to appear behind her back. He grabbed both of her arms and pulled them behind her. Rhena started to panic. She squirmed this way and that, trying to free her arms, but Koga only held tighter. She winced from the pain. Koga took advantage of her preoccupation, and swept her up in his arms, bridal style. He held onto her legs tightly so she couldn't kick and speed off towards his pack.

He screeched to a stop with a cloud of dust. Rhena's froze in his arms and her eyes widening to the size of saucer plates, noticing all the other wolf demons. Ginta and Hakkaku sped towards Koga. Seeing motion, Rhena snapped to reality. She began struggling more than she had before. Her senses were screaming: Danger!

Koga jumped up the cliff in order to avoid their questions. He landed on a spot next to the northern wolves. They shared a look of surprise.

Rhena struggled and squirmed with all her might. She didn't want to know what they wanted with her, and she wasn't about to take a chance.

Koga couldn't hold on any longer, her squirming finally paying off. She fell from his grasp with a THUMP! Scrambling away from the demons, she ran in the opposite direction. That just happened to the edge of the cliff.

Koga swore under his breath as he chased after the scared female. Rhena skidded to a stop at the end of the cliff, eyeing the river that flowed into the waterfall just inches from her. Sneaking a glance at her captor, she turned towards the waterfall, fully intending to jump. It was pressuring. She knew all the demons had their eyes focused on her; they probably thought her crazy.

With one glance back, she jumped. Sprinkles of water tickled her front side and the air brushed her back. With a big splash, she landed in the lake.

"No!" Koga yelled, torn between frustration and worry. He'd nearly caught her and she then she had to pull a stunt like that.

"Stupid girl," he muttered under his breath "No one can survive a fall like that and I bet you can't even swim."

He rushed down the cliff and stopped between Ginta and Hakkaku. He finally decided to answer their questioning looks.

"She had a special ability I could have used."

He didn't bother telling them that she could sense the Shikon Shards if he couldn't even use! She's dead! _Or is she...?_

...…………………………………

I revised this chapter as well; hope you liked it! Please READ and REVIEW!


	5. Back again

**Chapter 5:_ Back again..._**

**By Crimsondrop7**

Rhena was currently deep in the lake near the bottom. _YOW! It's cold in here! Not to mention dark..._

Spotting the river that flowed into the lake. She swam towards it, _Swimming upstream IS harder than it looks._

Something moved out of her the corner of her eye. She looked back, feeling a little paranoid. When she saw nothing, she turned back, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling. Another movement caught her eye, this time in front of her.

There were dozens of eyes and gaping mouths.

_Fish_. Rhena concluded.

A low rumble vibrated through the water.

_What the..._ Her eyes widened with realization as she stared unbelievingly at the rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth, _Shit!_

She facing off gigantic carnivorous, flesh-eating, killer fish, meanwhile, she was running low on air! She paddled towards the surface as quickly as she could, the fish following closely behind. Rhena erupted through the surface, much needed air rushed into her lungs.

Koga's head suddenly jerked up. The sweet smell of lilies hit his nose dead on. He faintly heard a gasp.

"She's still alive?" He shouted, leaping from his spot.

Ginta, Hakkaku, and the two northern wolves jumped from the motion. They scooted back, probably thinking him crazy. Then, the scent snaked around their noses too. They breathed in deeply, relishing its relaxing touch. They opened their eyes to see a cloud of dust. Ginta and Hakkaku rushed to the edge of the cliff, watching Koga run.

"Where are you going, Koga?" Ginta yelled.

"Don't ask silly questions stupid!" Hakkaku whapped Ginta upside the head.

Koga turned his head and shouted back to them, "I won't allow any other being the chance to capture her and use her abilities before me!" He sped off in a cloud of dust, intent on ensnaring a certain feisty girl.

-----

Her legs came to instant attention as a fish snapped at she heels.

"Yow!" Rhena yelled as she jumped out of the water like she had been burned. Plopping on the bank tiredly, she glared at the river.

"Great," She said to herself. "The river's filled with killer fish, what to do..."

All of her ideas and thoughts dissipated as she spotted a figure on the horizon. It was that wolf boy! Rhena jumped up hastily. She nervously looked between the nearing wolf boy and the killer fish,

"Argh! I give up!" Throwing her hands up in the air, and plopped on the ground again, a sulky frown marring her pretty features.

Koga arrived just seconds later. "I thought you drowned?" He wore a surprised expression.

"I **CAN** swim, you know." She crossed her arms and huffed, annoyed.

"I suppose you've given up trying to escape me." He smirked, ego filling his head.

"**HA!**" Rhena snorted, "Yeah right! Like I have a choice. It's either get eaten alive by gigantic piranhas, or **you**. And quite personally, I'd rather be eaten alive by carnivorous fish! Don't even **think** that I've given up for a **tidbit!**"

Koga shot her a sarcastic look. He moved to grab her. Rhena scooted as far as possible away from Koga. Agitated, Koga snatched her left arm, preventing her from moving anymore. Rhena let her wrist go slack. She was too tired to fight. Koga's face lit up, delighted. **Had** she given up on fighting?

Koga pulled her up by the arm and steadied her when she was on her feet. Seeing the badly bleeding ankle, his eyes widened. He swept Rhena off her feet, bridal style. She blinked twice at the swift motion. Feels like deja vu.

For once, Rhena didn't struggle against Koga's hold…but that still didn't mean she wouldn't squirm. She wasn't used to being carried at all; it felt awkward. The scenery became a big green blob.

They halted to a stop. Rhena opened her eyes to see the same rocky waterfall adorned with wolf demons. Her senses overloaded again. She tensed as Ginta and Hakkaku ran to them. They smirked, spotting the 'game' Koga had caught.

"Go on." Koga shoved Rhena into their arms. In response, the two wolf demons nodded and grabbed her arms tightly. They walking towards the mouth of the cave, Koga followed.

_They're full of bones!_ Rhena thought, slowly traveling further into panic mode.

Suddenly, she was thrusted forward onto something fluffy. "H-hey!" Rhena rubbed her sore bottom.

"Stay there, girl." Hakkaku ordered.

"Why should I?" Rhena jumped up from the fluffy pelt, being stubborn. She may be worn out, but that doesn't mean she won't argue.

"I said STAY!" Hakkaku pointed at the furry pelt, fuming.

"Do I look like a dog to you? No way!" She started to march her way past him when she bumped against a hard chest and fell hard on her butt.

"Oof!" She turned her glare to the one she bumped into, Koga.

He towered over her by a few feet, tail swishing back and forth in annoyance. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay right where you are supposed to."

"Like hell I will!" Rhena repeatedly poked his chest with suppressed anger while she lectured. "I'm a responsible teenage girl and I **don't** need to be told what to do! I **don't **need your continuous 'Do this, Do that' crap! If you think I'm about to do **ANYTHING** for someone who did **NOTHING** for me, well think again wolf boy! JUST BECAUSE I CAN 'SENSE' THESE STUPID 'SHIKON SHARDS' **DOESN'T **GIVE **YOU** **THE RIGHT** TO TAKE **ME **AGAINST **MY WILL!**"

Rhena's chest heaved up and down, taking in much needed air for her poor lungs. If this keeps up, she'll develop some kind of disease like tuberculosis and that's definitely **NOT** cool. This wolf boy just may be the death of her.

Rhena's outburst turned the heads of everyone present in the cave. The two Northern Wolves sided up to Koga.

"So," The sleazy wolf started "She can sense an' see the shards, eh? Perhaps she can work for us too." The other northern wolf nodded, and started to move towards the dog-tired Rhena.

'No way! He wouldn't, he couldn't!' Rhena's midnight blue eyes started to frantically search for an escape as the Northern Wolves neared, their fangs started to show.

Koga's protectiveness clicked, his fur stood on an end. He growled and bared his fangs, warning the wolves not a step closer.

"I found her first, she belongs to me." He stepped in front of Rhena, cutting them off from getting any closer. "This meeting is over. Leave. **NOW!**" He barked, knowing the Northern Wolves would understand the underlying threat.

A scent caught Koga's nose, as did everyone else's. His eyes softened a bit when he watched Rhena cradle her ankle, which was unfortunately bleeding more heavily than before. She must have opened the wound further. Another small movement caught his eye; she was biting her lip. He frowned. If she bites her lip any harder, she'll be bleeding in two places.

He motioned for Ginta to fetch a bowl of water, a rag, and a few bandages. Ginta quickly did want he was told and returned, setting the items on the ground. Koga took the rag and dipped it in the water. He gently grabbed her foot, trying not to alarm the nervous-wreck of a girl. Her eyes shot open at the contact. Midnight blue eyes met sky blue; she understood what he was trying to do. Reluctantly, she let it go. Koga's eyes lit up satisfied she was cooperating, even if it was for an injury. He cleansed the area around of any dried blood.

He moved onto the wound itself. He hesitated. He looked up to find Rhena's gaze pointed at the cave wall, a blush graced her cheeks. Koga felt a smirk creep on his face. Shrugging it off, he went back to cleaning the wound. He heard Rhena wince, but otherwise paid no heed. He put down the bloody rag, then took the bandages and wrapped them firmly around her ankle.

"Try not to walk on it for a while."

He shifted his gaze to her face as she stared at his. She nodded numbly as her mind tried to register everything happening. He started to get up, until Rhena's voice stopped him,

"Thanks." She stared at the floor, the blush very noticeable on her pretty features.

_The blush suits her. She's not bad when she's not yelling._

Taking advantage of her current situation, he commanded her. "Stay there."

Once again she nodded numbly. Pleased with the reaction, he walked out of the cave, intent on hunting for dinner with his two best men.

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I revised this one too. Make sure you **Read** & **Review**!

Just look at that lonely button down there,

You know you want to push it!

C'mon push it!


	6. Little White Fluries

**_Chapter 7: Snow?_**

**By Crimsondrop7**

The sun had set. Koga and his comrades arrived in the cave. Their arms bared a large amount game, namely deer. They laid the nine large deer on the cave floor and backed up before the chaos started. As soon as the wolf demons saw the food, they rushed forward in a huge ravenous mob. Koga gave a tired sigh, rubbing his temples. Even his two best men were associated with the craziness. Koga decided to use the girl as an excuse to escape the madness. He slipped into the shadows.

He approached the furry pelt with slow steps, assuring no attention to him. He was greeted with the sight of Rhena slumbering away peacefully. Her jet-black tresses splayed across the pelt. Her face was snuggled into the warm furriness. She was curled in a ball, trying to keep warm. Rhena shivered a bit; her clothes were still damp from the afternoon _swim_.

_I'll have her change into something else._ He thought, frowning.

His gaze swept over her legs and settled on her feet. He was checking to see if the wound had healed. He frowned. Well, as much as he could see. A of wolf lay curled on her feet, its fur covering the skin from sight.

_A small attempt._ Koga noted.

He continued to stare at her for a few minutes until he caught himself.

_What am I DOING?_ His mind screamed.

Snorting, Koga turned his tail and started at the cave wall. What a wondrous color of dull gray it was, yes…absolutely boring. His left eye started to twitch with annoyance as nothing stirred in his interest. Tired of boredom, he plopped down close to Rhena's head and prolonged to stare into space.

Koga stayed like that for a few minutes until his eyelids became droopy. He fought the oncoming sleep, but lost. His eyelids slid closed and his body fell to the soft fluffiness. Little did he know that falling asleep close to Rhena would cause a few problems in the morning.

"Koga! Koga!" Ginta ran frantically about the cave, searching for him.

He skidded to stop in front of his pelt and snickered at the sight that met him. Koga was snuggledagainst Rhena! Ginta tried yelling at first, but when that did nothing, resorted to shaking him. He became frustrated as Koga showed no signs of waking up. Hakkaku ran up to Ginta,

"What's wrong?"

"He won't wake up!" Ginta replied, stressed.

Hakkaku looked at Rhena, "Why don't we let her wake him up? We'll just _accidentally_ wake her up and she'll _accidentally_ wake him up!"

A smirk creeped onto Ginta's face and nodded his head vigorously. Hakkaku walked up to Rhena. He nudged her none-the-too-gently in the back and then pinched her arm. Her eyes popped open.

"What was that fo…" Rhena stopped in mid-sentence. Her mind spun. Someone was against her **not** in a very good position either.

Koga's head was in the crook of her neck, his nose buried in her hair. His right arm wrapped tightly and possessively around her waist while the other one rested lightly on her hip. Their legs were hopelessly intertwined. She looked at her own betraying hands in disbelief. One gripped his fur skirt while the other lay innocent. Shocked, Rhena released her grip on his skirt.

_**Why** was I gripping his skirt?_

She heard two snickers from behind her and twisted her body as far as it could. She glared at the ones who dared to watch such an embarrassing moment. She saw Ginta rolling on the ground paralyzed with silent laughter. Hakkaku was laughing, ready to collapse at any moment. Hakkaku dared to open an eye as saw Rhena mouth the words 'You're dead!'. Unable to take it anymore, he fell to the ground and doubled over laughing, holding his stomach..

Rhena let a frustrated sigh escape her lips and focused on the problem at hand. She needed to get out of this position before anyone else witnesses their, **ahem, **position…

First, she'd have to remove the invading arm around her waist; it was holding her down. Rhena grunted in annoyance, she couldn't remove his arm!

_Great! He has a death grip on my waist! Just great!_ She thought sourly.

Suddenly, his resting hand on her hip started to trace down her body. She stiffened. His hand grew closer to her butt as she grew nervous.

What is he doing?

She felt his hand graze over her butt and rest on her thigh. As an immediate reaction, her face grew red with embarrassment and she sprang up, not caring if she hurt Koga in the process.

"YOU PERVERT!" Rhena screeched as loud as she could.

This only fueled Ginta and Hakakku's laughter more. Koga jerked awake.

"YOU TOO!" She pointed an accusing finger at them, "I SWEAR, IF ANYONE ELSE SAW THAT, THEY'RE **DEAD! **DON'T THINK **YOU** **TWO** ARE EXCUSED FROM THIS!"

Rhena pounced after the two who scooted away from her as fast as they could on their butts. She was within inches of reaching them when a warm hand closed around her wrist, preventing her from advancing any further. She glared at the hand and followed it up to Koga's face. It held confusion with a touch of annoyance; it almost looked cute, almost…

"What's going on here, woman?"

"Woman!" Rhena wrenched her wrist from his grasp, "I have a name! You know it! Use it!"

"Fine." He retorted, not in the mood to argue, "What's the problem, Rhena?" She almost smiled when she heard that, but spotted Ginta and Hakkaku's smirks.

"These two just…!" She had trouble putting it into words, "They…! They just…exploited me!"

"So?" Koga crossed his arms, not seeing the point.

"So?" Rhena sputtered, she thought he heard the last part, "They just saw… something that made them think dirty thoughts!"

"Why should I care? We have more important things to focus on, like getting you something better to wear!"

Koga put his hand on her lower back and pushed Rhenain front of him. Ginta and Hakkaku followed after, predicting another entertaining fight.

"Don't you change the subject on me wolf boy! And what's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Rhena spun around to face Koga as he stopped, her arms poised on her hips.

"One, it attracts too much attention." Rhena raised an eyebrow, "Two, you're shivering because your clothes are damp!"

Koga held a fur skirt much like his own in front of her waist, seeing if it would fit her. He frowned and shook his head in disapproval. It was too large. He searched for a smaller one while Rhena's face glowed red. She decided to keep her mouth shut for now and clasped her hands behind her back. They were just itching to slap away those offending hands.

Koga put another one up to her waist and smiled in triumph. He turned to the pile of amour. He threw them this way and that. Rhena, Ginta, and Hakkaku had to dodge and duck the flying black blurs. Koga gave a small yip of success when he found armor for a female. He handed it to Rhena.

Her eyes widened at seeing how it was shaped. It was like a tube-top with two skimpy-looking strings to hold it up. The waist was smaller. She noticed, with an ironic frown, the armor had spaces to accommodate her breasts. Not too mention, the armor veered dangerously to over exaggerating a v-neck. She eyed it critically. Will she even be able to fit into this?

"Get dressed." Koga ordered. Ginta and Hakkaku's smirks widened when they heard the command. Rhena frowned at the two then set her sights on Koga.

"With you watching? I don't think so."

Koga gave a shrug and turned around. Koga saw the perverted grins on his Ginta and Hakakku; he glared at them. Their smirks disappeared and reluctantly, they turned around.

Rhena checked one more time before peeling off her damp shirt, _Guess wolf boy was right._

She warily looked at the armor and frowned. There was** no way** she could wear a bra with this thing! She set it on the floor and buried it in her shirt. Hopefully no one will see it. As she looked down at herself, her face turned beet red. She had cleavage!

Adjusting the strings as best as she could, she picked up the furry skirt. It was a little loose, but slid on easily. Rhena tightened the strings at the waist until it felt comfortable. There was a draft around her legs; she didn't like it much.

"You can look now." Rhena announced to the males.

Hakkaku and Ginta's reacted with their mouths falling open. They couldn't believe how fitting it was! Koga gave a large smile and walked towards her,

"That's better! It fits you perfectly!" He knew the black fur would suit her. It blended splendidly with her jet-black hair and made her midnight blue eyes stand out. "We still need to add a few more things to complete."

Koga rested his hands on the ebony shoulders of the wary female, "Follow me."

She grudgingly trailed him to the next cave. This was full of furry appendages. He pulled out two black shoulder pads and attached them to the strings on her top. He grabbed ones that had a cloth fastened to the bottom. Rhena looked at it oddly.

"For your feet." He explained.

Rhena sat on the ground and awkwardly pulled them on like socks. She stood and looked at him, expecting another piece of furry clothing shoved into her arms. Koga merely stepped aside. She shot him a confused look.

He sighed, "Choose somthing for your arms."

Rhena gave a nod and starting searching. She pulled out a short whiteone and a medium **white**. She put them on, opposite of Koga's arms.

_The longer one on my arm is shorter than his. Our colors are different, and they're on different arms. _Rhena reassured herself, _Hopefully he won't notice._

"Done."

All three wolves' eyes shot to her figure, studying her choice. Ginta and Hakkaku looked at each other, then back at Rhena. Their smiles matched. Koga raised one eyebrow at the color choice and two eyebrows at the length of them, and blinked at the arm choice.

He put the puzzle together. Koga saw what she was trying to hide. Smirking in pride he strode over to Rhena and threw an arm around her shoulder, "Glad you like my style."

"Like I had many choices!" She shook off his arm and scooted a few feet away from him.

Suddenly, Koga's hand closed on her wrist and pulled her along him. "Let's show you to the rest of the pack."

"Are you kidding? No way!" Rhena protested.

"Too late." Koga declared. He stood at the opening in the main cave with Rhena hiding behind him.

"Oh joy." Rhena muttered, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Hakkaku and Ginta crossed over to the other side, wishing to participate in the fun.

"Listen up men!" Koga's voice thundered over the wolf demons and bounced off the cave walls, "Rhena will be staying with us to help with the shard hunt. We decided to fix her up a bit. What do you think boys?"

Koga stepped aside, revealing Rhena looking embarrassingly looking at the cave floor, finding it very interesting. A blush stained her cheeks.

Catcalls, cheering, and howling reverberated the room. Her blush deepened as her gaze swept over the crowd. She saw Ginta, Hakkaku, even **Koga** contributing the ruckus! He laughed heartedly at the sight. A few change of clothes and his men were drooling! He had to admit that she was more attractive with their clothes than her own.

Ginta and Hakkaku pulled Koga away as they wore serious faces. His smile dissipated. They told him important news received from the guards earlier that morning. Koga gave a short nod and sided up to Rhena. Her face was flushed from the wolves' teasing. Koga lowered his head to her left ear and told the news. The reaction he got was a rather loud outburst:

"ARE YOU **MAD? NOT POSSIBLE!**"

An uproar of new catcalls, howls, and cheers reached their ears. Obviously, they had thought of a different idea; those dirty minds!

Rhena bit her lip to stop retorting; she knew it would only fuel their laughter further.

"Settle down men, I have another announcement!" Koga's voice demanded authority and the rest of the pack settled down while Ginta and Hakkaku took their places back in the audience, "I've been informed that there is a demon with four shards within the region. Unfortunately, that demon has powers of ice. He's plunged the entire Eastern and Southern region into a temporary winter. If we can find this demon and kill it, we'll be able to stop the snow and get four shards in the bargain!"

Pack members grew wild at the statement.

As the pack members returned to their own things, Koga searched for Rhena. She was standing at the opening of the cave, her hand sliding across the frozen waterfall. Koga walked to her side and noted that her eyes were unfocused and distant. She blinked twice before turning to Koga in question. He shot her a confused look.

A small sigh escaped her lips as she rubbed her temples, "Can I go outside for a short walk? I need to think about some things.."

Koga noticed the tired tone she used and saw her rubbing her temples. "Sure." He replied in an apologetic tone. The one important thing Koga forgot was to send someone to watch her, oops?

………………………………………………………………………………

I revised this one too! Make sure you **Read** & **Review**!

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	7. A Little Romance

Here there people! Did you like my seventh chapter? How's my speedy update? You people don't seem to be reviewing much! Tsk, tsk, tsk! It shouldn't be hard to get a few reviews! Anyways, totally crazy about Xmas! Only one more week of educational stuff! Than nothin' but Xmas, Xmas, XMAS!!!!! Plus I'm totally freaked about the finals comin' up! One week after Winter Break! Urgh, not-ready-yet! I have 29 reviews RIGHT NOW, so whom ever is THIRTY-ITH reviewer will get a special thanks in next chapter!!! I MUST reach A LEAST 30! I really want to thank all the faithful reviewers who review often! You are VERY helpful, if any of you people out there want to be on this list, review each chapter or more than once! It shouldn't be _that_ hard. Anyways, here are the special thanks:

Thank you Kaori!

Thank you Sweetlilbee!

Thank you Haloangelwolf496!

Thank you me/nambe!

Thank you authors that have put me on your favorite author/story list!

A BIG thanks to all the other reviewers who have reviewed this story!

There will be no conversation between the characters and I this chapter because I'm too lazy. Now, ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!

_**Chapter 8: A Little Snow Sprinkled with Fluff **_

Rhena trudged through the knee-deep snow while shutting her eyes. That headache really hurt! She was also feeling a little warm even though her body was shaking. She finally stopped walking, realizing that she no idea of where she was. Her feet were just inches from the edge of a tall cliff. There was a pretty array of purple, pink, orange, and golden yellow in the west. 'Uh oh!' Rhena started to panic, 'I don't know where I am, **and** it's starting to get dark!'

A sudden gust of cold air stirred her out of her thoughts. She shivered in response. 'Maybe I should of gotten more fur to wear.' Rhena thought with a frown as she looked down at her bare legs. She just couldn't see how those wolf demons could stand being in the cold like this and without pants! It started to snow again and little white flurries speckled her jet-black hair. Holding out her hand, she watched the snowflakes land and turn into water in the middle of her palm. It felt good on her heated skin.

Rhena felt tired, the high fever starting to take a toll on her tired body. Letting the soft white cushion her fall, she spread out her legs and arms full length. The cold was making her drowsy and her eyelids slide closed. Rhena felt the cold air brush against her bare skin and the snowflakes flit onto her face. She faintly heard the crunching of snow far away. 'Probably an animal.' She thought calmly. The crunching came closer and Rhena's heart started to race. It soon stopped a few feet away from her arms. Rhena's heart was beating loudly in her ears as she waited for the thing to go away. She hoped the thing couldn't hear heartbeats.

Hearing two soft thumps, she indicated the thing had kneeled. 'Wait…' Rhena thought, alarmed. 'Two knees, that means it walks on two legs. Damn! What if it's a demon looking for a meal? I'm dead!!!' She felt something warm on her legs and couldn't help the small smile on content that crept onto her face. The warmth stayed on her legs and she heard the rustle of clothes. Another source of warmth hovered above her head. Their warm breath brushing her face. Making up her mind, Rhena slowly and hesitantly opened her eyes.

Midnight blue eyes met emerald. She blinked once, twice in confusion. Rhena didn't know anyone with green eyes. Then she froze. It _was_ a demon probably wanting to eat her. Rhena's heart pounded loudly in her ears as she waited for her fate. Then, she noticed something. The demon was practically on top of her! She blushed a pretty pink and averted her eyes out of embarrassment. Rhena heard a low rumble and saw that he was laughing. She was shocked, then pouted. This made the demon laugh even harder as he rolled off her. She sat up, a pout still adorning her face. "What's so funny?" The demon just kept on laughing, holding his stomach. While she waited for him to settle down, she studied his features.

He had red, auburn hair that was pulled into a low ponytail while his bangs covered his forehead. The ears were pointed in that way of an elf. Two glistening fangs poked out of his mouth as he laughed. She noted, that he wore no amour, but had a sword at his hip. His clothing seemed silky and flowed with his every movement. It came in various colors of green and had decorations of leaves and vines. A silver shimmering cloak on his shoulders looked as if it was thrown on in a rush. Something fluffy, no two somethings fluffy moved in between his legs. He had **two** tails! They were auburn red like his hair and twitched every once in a while. For Kami's sake, did **everyone **have tails around here?

"If you're done staring, I'd like to talk." He added with a chuckle. Rhena gave a small gasp of surprise as a blush spread across her cheeks. He held out a slightly clawed hand. Rhena looked confused at first, then slowly slid her hand in his. With a mighty jerk, he pulled Rhena up to her feet. She flew forward, surprised at the strength and found herself in the stranger's arms. Blushing furiously, she jumped out of his arms and brushed the remaining snow while trying to fight down her blush. Rhena cleared her throat to get his attention and held out her hand, "Nice to meet you. I'm Rhena." He took her hand and kissed the back of it like a gentleman, his tail swishing in anticipation, "Pleased to meet you as well. You may call me Kino." Rhena watched his lips touch her hand in a formal manner and felt the heat rising in her cheeks.

"My dear," Kino drawled out, his cockiness surfacing after. "If you blush any more, I'm afraid that your face will stay that color. Though, it fits you well." He continued, "What is a lovely thing like yourself doing out here in the cold? It's not safe here. There happens to be a rather strong demon lurking somewhere about these lands, you could be killed! And furthermore, wouldn't your parents worry? I'll escort you back to your village for safety." Rhena was steamed at Kino. How he dare he talk to her that way! Her stubbornness surfaced and jammed her fists on her hips, ready to give a mini lecture, "First off, why would a demon such as yourself care about a human? I don't even know you! And for you information, I wasn't feeling well and came out here to get some fresh air. As for my parents? They're too far away to worry about me; I doubt they even know what I'm doing. I already know about the dangerous demon, AND I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much!"

Rhena turned her tail, er, shoulder and defiantly crossed her arms. She heard him chuckle as he softly put and hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him. Rhena had a pout set on her face and turned her head, refusing to speak to him. A clawed finger hooked itself under her chin and directed her gaze to his. "I was merely worried about your safety." He explained softly. "Why?" Rhena softly back, her eyes swimming with confusion. "You are more than just a 'worthless human.' I sense large amount of power within you, but it seems untrained. Besides that fact, now that I look, you are wearing wolf demon clothes, are you not? That must mean that you are staying with them, are you not?" Rhena became embarrassed at the claim and the proximity of their faces as she averted her gaze.

Kino continued, ignoring the humility he was creating Rhena, "Now, back to the previous business, why are you not trained? One would think that if you are staying with demons, you should know how to fight. Haven't they taught you? It's dangerous to be around them without knowing such things. I will teach you. Now that this is settled, let's get you back, hm? I believe your caretaker will be worried about your absence at this time."

Rhena's head spun, all-too overwhelmed with the information. She luckily, caught the last few sentences, her eyes widened. "**WH-WHAT?!?**" She blurted out, completely unprepared for the statement about teaching her to fight, "You're…You're gonna teach me? But what if Ko-, er, my caretaker will object? Besides that, how **on earth** will you be able to teach me if you can't find me or I, you?" As much as she hated to admit it, Rhena was hoping that she could learn to fight. His guy could be her ticket! But, could she trust him? She only just met him, so would it be wise? Rhena snorted in her mind. Of course she could trust him, right? If he wanted to kill her, he would of done so already, right? Right???

Kino grinned with cockiness while he winked, "Of course my dear. You will be meeting me here when the sun is half way to the mid-day point, tomorrow. I will be waiting for you here on this cliff. If you don't come, I will personally retrieve you myself from wherever you may be." "Great, it looks like I have no choice. This'll be hard to explain to him." Rhena mumbled under breath.

A sudden motion from Kino brought Rhena out of 'La La Land.' He was bent sideways, his left arm at the back of her knees and the right arm pressed lightly against her back, close to her shoulders. Her mind barely had any time to register anything as he picked her up bridal style, quicker than the eye can see. "WH-WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DO…!" Her shout was cut into a small squeak as Kino jumped off the edge of the cliff. She instantly squinted her midnight blue eyes shut and buried her face into Kino's neck, er, shoulder. Her small petite hands hand a death grip on his clothes and her jet-black hair whipped wildly in the wind. 'Wow.' She thought idly, 'He's almost as fast as Koga!'

Kino finally slid to a stop, snow flying everywhere. He gently lowered Rhena to the ground, holding her hand and preventing her from leaving. Rhena got the message and turned to face Kino, her hand still in his. Kino looked directly into the female's eyes, "It was a pleasure meeting one such as lovely, charming, and beautiful as yourself, my dear Rhena." He slid a small wooden box beautifully painted and carved with leaves and vines into her left hand. Looking into her eyes once again, his face drew close to hers. Snatching her rosy, lush lips with his, he marveled the sensation feeling. Her lips were softer than he thought, and she tasted like the sweetest honey. His two tails wrapped around her body, creating warmth for the both of them. Reluctantly, he pulled away, wanting nothing more than to stay that way. Kino shook his to rid it of the haze that had formed. Flashing a charming smile towards Rhena, he reminded her, "Remember, the cliff tomorrow, be there." With that said, Kino sped of towards the East.

Rhena stood there for a few seconds, watching his figure disappear into the dark night. She caught her self as burst out, "WHAT AM I DOING??!" A light lit over Rhena's head, something g had just dawned on her, "He…HE JUST STOLE MY FIRST KISS!!!" Great, now her first kiss was taken. Although, it was more…ARGH! Rhena shook her head violently from side to side to rid her mind of the disturbing thought. 'Gotta focus, need-to-get-back-to-the-cave. Must focus.' She chanted in her head and headed back to the cave.

As soon as she set foot in the cave, a worried Ginta immediately greeted Rhena. "Where were Rhena? Koga practically went crazy with worry for you after it turned dark. He couldn't find you or even pick up your scent! Are you alright?" Before Rhena had a chance to answer, both Hakkaku and Koga ran up her. "Where were you? Why didn't you come back after it was dark?" Koga bombarded Rhena with question after question while Hakkaku talked quietly with Ginta. Rhena retorted in a slightly annoyed voice, "F Y I Koga, **you** allowed me to go outside the cave for a little fresh air. I had decided to take a short walk to rid myself of the **headache** created by **you**, and got lost for a little while. On the way back, it took a little longer than usual because **I couldn't see too well in the dark**, unlike you demons…" "Well, next time, I'm sending you with someone. From now on, you are not to go alone anywhere without guard, I can't risk you being taken!"

"WHAT!!?" Rhena yelled, enraged, "I'm not some baby! I'm not some item! I don't need a BABYSITTER and _you_ don't OWN ME!! I'm not some weakling! I can take care of myself, thank you very much!" Koga set a hard glare her way and Rhena remembered something and immediately shut her mouth. If this keeps up, she wouldn't be able to slip out undetected! Then she wouldn't know how to fight, or even worse, Kino will come here and Koga will find all about it! "FINE!!!" Rhena yelled in Koga's face, steam pouring out her ears. She stomped her way to the back of the cave, near Koga's pelt, but not on it. No way was she gonna sleep on that thing after a fight with Koga. Forget that!

Rhena took out the beautifully decorated box Kino gave her. She pondered what could be inside it and wether she should open it or not. Rattling the box slightly, she lifted it up to her ear and listened. It sounded like fabric brushing against the wood. 'A cloth?' While her eyes drooped, Rhena traced the vines and leaves that decorated the box. Her eyes closed and Rhena fell into a light slumber. She shifted many times against the uncomfortable cave wall.

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Sooo, did you people like that chapter? I decided that Rhena needs more than just one suitor, so Kino is ONE of the MANY she will have. YAY!!! Plus, I'm trying to make this a little humorous, so many suitors will create MUCH CHAOS!!! YYYEEEEEESSSSSS!!!!! As a warning, in the next few chapters, I will be introducing MANY new characters, so try to keep up! I could **probably** put a character page after I introduce them, if you want… So, VOTE!

**_Question:_** **Do you want me to have a character page/chapter later in the story when I've introduced a bunch of characters? _VOTE!!! REVIEW!!!!! VOTE!!! REVIEW!!!!! VOTE!!! REVIEW!!!!! VOTE!!! REVIEW!!!!! VOTE!!! REVIEW!!!!! VOTE!!! REVIEW!!!!!_**

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	8. Castles & Spirit Beasts

OH MAN! I'M SOOOOOOOOOO SORRY FOR KEEPING YOU ALL WAITING! This has just been WWWAAAYYYYY too crazy for my tastes. Schoolwork has been piling up as usual, though now it's spring break, so **YAY**! Now I have lots of time to do stuff! Maybe a little too much though… Anyways, I expected to finish this chapter in one day, but due to my mom's nagging about clothes shopping, which I **HATE**!

Sorry for you shopping folks out there, but I ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, TOTALLY, COMPLETELY, _HATE_, _HATE_, **_HATE_**...clothes shopping. Stupid 'spring cleaning.' And she won't let me stay on the computer all day, so that stinks too. But AT LEAST I got it done, glad about that so I can focus my attention on the other stories.

Oh! Random comment: Yesterday was CRAZY! We had a 15-minute black out, during a hard rainstorm; there were even tornado alerts and sightings! And the rain also turned into hail for a little while, which is pretty rare. Well, just wanted to say that, so let's get on with the show!

**Chapter 9:_ Castles and Spirit Beasts_**

The first rays of morning sunrise hit the cave floor, stirring Rhena from her slumber. 'Morning already? Guess I'd better leave soon.' Rhena soundlessly picked herself off the ground and rubbed the sleep away from her eyes. She waited a few minutes before leaving, making sure that all the wolves and demons were asleep. Tip toeing past them, she peeked outside the cave. Rhena slipped into the safeness of the shadows. She was sure to travel on the rocks at first, making sure she wasn't heard by any of the demons. As soon as she was far enough, she set foot in the white, sparkling snow. 'Now how to get to the cliff.' She pondered. Rhena close her eyes and trusted her instincts. Her feet turned towards the East as she slowly walked.

Opening her eyes, she found herself on the rather familiar-looking cliff. "YEAH!" Rhena cheered and punched a fist in the air. She glanced at the sky and noticed the sun wasn't even close to when she was supposed to meet Kino. Guess she has a lot of time on her hands, due to that stupid, arrogant wolf-boy. He just had to make a big deal out a little trek through the forest, geeze. Anyway, now all she has to do is wait for a few hours, she could do that. Feeling better, Rhena eased herself to the ground, tracing random patterns in the snow.

An enraged roar tore through the air, coming from the forest below the cliff. Rhena jumped into the air, alarmed. She bent over the cliff, searching for any clues. With slight shock, she spotted large bloody paw prints leading into the ominous forest. She stopped for a moment, pondering on whether to check out, or to stay where she is, safe and sound. Curiosity got the better side of her, and she readied her body to go down the steep, snowy cliff. The saying "Curiosity killed the cat." rang though her mind. With a yell, Rhena gave a mighty jump off the cliff. The cold air rushed past her, hair and clothes whipping furiously in the wind. She moved her feet like one would do when skiing. "WHOA!" Rhena spun dangerously, after narrowly missing a large boulder in the snow. The bottom of the cliff neared and Rhena sped up.

But there was something she missed, at the bottom of the cliff; it steeped up sharply, creating a small-unseen trench. She let out a yelp of surprise as her feet stopped abruptly, caught in the trench. Her body flew forward into the snow, her head buried deep in the white fluff. With a large sigh, she pulled her head out of the snow, shaking it back and forth to rid it of the cold. Another ripped through the silence as Rhena jumped 3 feet into the air. She looked around, paranoid and frantic, before mentally slapping her forehead. Of course! She was here to find where that sound came from. Determined, she cautiously followed the bloody, red paw prints into the forest.

She saw a small clearing where two shady figures came to view. Hiding herself behind a tree, she listened in on the conversation, well one-sided conversation. "So, thought you would be able to escape from me, eh? Well, here is where it all ends." A feral growl came from the other side of the clearing. "SHUT UP YOU FILTHY FOX! YOU DIE NOW!" Rhena gasped, and ran from her hiding spot. She placed herself in front of the bloody fox-like beast on the ground, "Stop! You're not hurting this creature! Leave it alone!"

The ugly demon looked surprised, "WENCH! WHO ARE YOU? GET OUT OF MY WAY!" He snarled, becoming angrier. "FORGET IT! BESIDES, WHAT DID IT EVER DO TO YOU!" Rhena shouted back, agitated. "Its head will fetch a worthy price, now out of my way, wench!" He roughly shoved Rhena into a tree and made her lose her breath. He raised a bloody war axe above the creature's head. "NO!" Rhena snapped into action, grabbing hold of the axe handle, she used as much strength she could muster, pulling it away from the beast's head. She wrenched it out of his grasp, flinging it away and into the forest.

"WENCH!" His beady eyes centered flames of death on her, "You've ruined my hunt so now I'll take both of your heads, and eat the rest of you alive!" "Just try it!" Rhena challenged, her defiance surfacing again. Her mind was whirling with thoughts, 'What am I doing? What have I gotten myself into? May as well finish what I've started, I have no choice.' She got into a defensive position as the disgusting hunter demon pulled out six sharp daggers. Her eyes widened in fear and she worriedly glanced at the fox beast on the other side of the clearing. The demon caught her worried glance and gave a wry smile. With a throw of his fat wrists, he flung three daggers straight at Rhena and the others at the beast.

A growl passed her lips. She dodged and twisted her body to avoid two of the daggers. She received small cuts from those. The third skimmed her left lower leg, creating an open wound. She sped towards the beast, trying to pass the daggers in enough time to protect it. It was a matter of speed and time. Rhena's muscles burned from overwork, as she took one leap in front of the beast, taking all three hits. The first one impaled her right shoulder, the second hit her right thigh, and the third pierced upper left arm. She fell, breathing hard from the attacks. One of her midnight blue eyes were closed in pain as the demon hunter advanced.

Her mind spun, thinking fast and painfully yanked out the dagger in her left arm with a wince. She proceeded to yank the other two with her injured arm, biting her lip to prevent herself from crying out. Blood poured out of the open wounds and unshed tears stung her eyes. Hauling her body to their feet, Rhena held the daggers offensively. "Don't come any closer." The demon hunter let out a bone-chilling laugh as his face contorted to blood lust. He charged with long, jagged claws, ready to rip human flesh. Rhena didn't see the assault coming and barely dodged a killing blow. She received 4 large scrapes across her chest armor and three deep gashes on her right leg. Her mind swam for a few moments, the result of blood loss. And her muscles screamed in pain and protest.

A scowl put of her face, she lunged with the daggers in her hands, letting lose a battle cry. Taken by surprise, the demon hunter tried to move back and failed. Rhena swiftly slashed at his stomach, leaving 4 large, angry, bleeding wounds. He roared out in pain, trying to hit her as she continued her attack. She sliced his wrist and aimed for the neck. But the demon caught her wrist, holding it tightly and making the wounds on her arm bleed worse. Yanking back her hand, Rhena raised it above her head. She stepped back a few steps and flung the daggers, letting them fly toward the hunter demon. It hit their target, the one in his head efficiently killing him. The dead body fell back with a large 'THUMP!'

Rhena couldn't believe what she had just done. She slumped to her knees, her body shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes closed in pain, feeling the blood flow out of her multiple wounds. The snow underneath her was bright crimson, colored with her blood. A growl emanated from the other side of the red clearing. Crawling on her hands and knees, Rhena came to the kitsune beast. "It's okay," She cooed the creature. "You're safe, he won't hurt you anymore." She was answered by a soft growl; it's eyes opening. She saw deep purple. As she scrutinized its condition, she frowned. It too, had multiple wounds, blood staining the snow white coat.

Determined, she set her hands above the creature's body, "Let me try to heal you, stay still, please." Her brows furrowed in hard concentration, chanting 'Heal.' over and over in her mind. Her hands started to glow a light white while the wounds on the white snow body began to close; there was nothing she could do about blood on it's coat. After the last wound healed completely, Rhena collapsed on the creature, breathing heavily. She was dangerously dancing on the lines of unconsciousness, her vision occasionally blackening.

She faintly heard a voice, trying to speak to her. She focused on it, seeing a faint outline of the kitsune beast's face, "Hun?" Coming to her senses, Rhena jolted up, groaning shortly after due to her wounds. "Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to." She apologized to the creature. An unfamiliar male voice rung through her mind, _'You have nothing to worry about.' _ "What? Who?" Rhena looked left and right for the owner of the voice, "Okay…" She felt paranoid. The voice chuckled and spoke once more in her mind, _'I'm right here next to you, no use looking for me. Do not be afraid, I won't hurt you.'_ Rhena's jaw dropped, looking with big eyes at the kitsune beast, 'No way!' _'Yes way.'_ It argued, getting onto its feet, er, paws. From the ground, the creature was intimidating, taller than Rhena when she sat down.

_'Now let's get down to business.'_ "Business?" Rhena repeated, feeling stupid, as if she had missed something big. _'Yes, now on your feet.'_ It commanded, using its large head to help lift up Rhena to her feet. She tried standing on her only, only to fail. She was caught by the beast, and settled for leaning support. _'I owe you my life and would be honored if you were to become my mistress.' _ "Me? Your mistress? What do you mean?" Rhena became flustered from the statement, completely confused.

_'I am a spirit beast.'_ It began explaining, _'We can assume different forms, but are unable to take human form. Each form comes with various powers. There are very few of us left and most of society considers us sacred. We appear every 100 years to accompany those who are worthy. In the past, all our chosen ones have been male demons; you are the first female and human at that. Please become my mistress, I would be honored.'_ "Well, uh, I-I guess. But I don't anything about this." She stuttered, feeling completely ignorant. _'No need to worry, you'll get the idea in a bit.'_ It tried to reassure her.

"So, if I'm your mistress, then you'll need a name; do you have one?" She inquired, curiosity getting the better of her. He sounded sad, _'No, I don't I've never had one.'_ Rhena brightened, capturing the spirit beast's attention, "Well how I give you one. Hmmmm… Hey! How about Shinta?" The spirit beast cocked its head, staring at her face; it sounded like a child, _'Really?' _"Sure! Shinta it is!" The spirit beast now deemed Shinta, licked her face while she laughed.

They reached the cliff and Rhena groaned, mumbling under her breath, "Great, now how am I supposed to get back up? Going down is one thing, but going up is a whole different deal." _ 'I can take you up there.'_ "Really? You can do that?" Her question was answered by a whoosh of air. She was perched on top of Shinta's body, clinging to his fur for dear life. _'Relax; I won't let you fall. And yes, I can fly.'_ He answered her unvoiced questions, _'As well as read your thoughts.'_ "Cool!" Rhena exclaimed, climbing off his back.

Before she was able to say anything else, She spotted a figure on the horizon, 'Shoot! Is it time already?' She fixed her gaze the sun, which was halfway to the midpoint of the sky; exactly when Kino said he would meet her. She let out an exhausted sigh; fingering the box he gave her last night. As Kino stopped, the slow sliding everywhere, his eyes widened. There stood Rhena, covered in her own blood, along with a spirit beast. "What happened?" He managed to utter, rushing to her aid only to be stopped by the spirit beast. It growled at him with ruffled fur as Kino growled back, frustrated. "Let him through, Shinta. It's alright; he's…" Rhena couldn't finish her sentence, loosing her grip on Shinta's fur.

She felt faint and overheated. She slid to the ground, grasping her right leg. Sweat covered her forehead, her eyes closed in pain. The four wounds had gotten worse, the bleeding increasing greatly. "Rhena!" Kino rushed forward, pushing away the silky bangs while putting a hand on her forehead, checking her temperature. He frowned and focused his attention on her wounded leg. He took off his silvery cloak, pushing her hands away from the wound. He lifted her leg off the ground, wrapping the cloth tightly around the wound. Rhena was unable to stay awake any longer, weary in both mind and body.

She slumped forward as Kino caught her, "I have to get medicinal help fast." He picked her up bridal-style, being careful of the other wounds. Her head lifelessly lolled towards his chest, her breath coming out in short pants. A growl emanated from his back. Kino watched the spirit beast circle him once, before giving a growl of approval. "If you wish to come along, then do so." The purple-eyed creature growled again in agreement. With a short, curt nod, Kino and the spirit beast speed off towards the east.

They ran side by side, occasionally splitting apart to dodge trees. Rhena was spared many worried glances, by both Kino and the spirit beast. It had grown dark as the twosome slowed their pace to a walk. They came to a path in the forest, following it. A tall wall lay up ahead, white and smooth. As it came further into view, a gate and two guards came into view; they were some type of feline demons, looking fierce and alert. They straightened themselves as their eyes grew the size of platter plates. Mouths agape, they just stared as young master passed them, a bloody human girl in his arms, and a spirit beast at his side.

About 2 miles further, a castle came into view. A grand white washed stone, reaching high into the sky. Vines covered part of it, and beautiful flowers dotting the lawn. The 2 large wooden doors creaked open, three maids stopping in mid-sentence to stare at the unnoticeable bundle in him arms. "Get me the healer, quick!" He ordered, one maid staying at his side as he rushed up the stairs and various corridors, reaching his room in under a minute. The maid took out a think, white sheet, and laid it atop his bed. Kino carefully set down Rhena, and turned his back, allowing the take her chest armor off. The other two maids arrived with the healer, coming in as soon as was set on the bed.

The healer was a raven demon, her long black hair reaching the ground. She was taller than Rhena, but not enough to reach over Kino. Her bright orange eyes scanned her body, clicking her tongue. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the young prince pacing with impatience. She smiled slightly and set to her work. Grabbing a washcloth and dipping it in the cold bowl of water, she started to wipe away and dried blood. The water in the bowl slowly turned red.

Finally satisfied with her work, she set out on cleaning the open wounds. First, was the one on her right shoulder, which had stopped bleeding but managed to look worse. She washed the skin around with care, lightly dabbing the wound itself. Then she took one the bandages from the maids, carefully winding it lose. The raven demoness did the same with her other wounds, leaving the leg wound unwrapped, for certain reasons. Calling out to the young master, the healer allowed him to stand by her side. He inspected each wound and gave a nod of approval, allowing her to move on.

She stepped forward, hovering to hands above the girl's body. A soft orange light engulfed her hands, surrounding Rhena as well. The wounds began to close and heal, leaving no scars in their wake. Though, something troubled the healer. It was the wounds on her left leg; it wouldn't heal completely. The best she could do was close up the wounds and make them a bit smaller. "That is the best I can do." She bowed, apologizing that she couldn't finish the job. "Thank you, Kaori." Kino dismissed her and maids, sitting down with a relieved sigh after the door closed. Shinta lay next to the bed, exhausted as well.

Kino put a hand on her forehead, checking her temperature; she seemed normal. Curious, her picked up the female-shaped armor, raising his eyebrows at the gashes, 'Must have been some fight.' His eyes grew tired, trying to fight against sleep. He leaned against the bedpost, giving into his tiredness. Today was a long day, and he's sure tomorrow will be even worse.

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Holy Geeze! 17 pages! I don't think my fingers could go any further. Sorry it took so long, I kinda had a writer's block, more like a too-busy-block. Oh well! At least I have the chapter up, right? That's what counts! And now I'm off to do some more writing, especially _The Power Of A Miko_, I haven't updated that one in a long time! I already have some of it, but not all, just gotta keep going! And while I'm at it, I'll try to start the next chapters of A New Life, and Highschool Craze (on fiction press). Well! Gotta go peoples, and THANK-YOU ALL WHO HAVE STAYED WITH ME FOR EACH NEW CHAPTER, THANK-YOU!

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